It’s 5 p.m. You’re at your desk, staring at a mountain of work and a long list of social networks that need updates. You know the work needs to get done, but Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, LinkedIn and all their cousins are calling your name.

If you’ve ever asked yourself whether the effort your business puts into social media marketing is worth your time, this column’s for you. Here are four ways to tell if your enthusiasm for social media has overextended your ability to keep up.

Sophie Bujold

#1. You’re active on social networks most people have never heard ofWhile it’s great to go niche, it’s important to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of doing so carefully. Consider the audience’s size and value to your business, the time commitment and the network’s overall worth to your business, among other factors.

Generally speaking, you want to start by making sure you’re covering some or all of the major networks before branching out to lesser-known social outlets, such as Instagram, Gogobot, Foursquare and Meetup.

The majors to take care of first would be: • Facebook• Pinterest• Twitter• YouTube• Google+ • LinkedIn

The fact is that they reach the bulk of the social media population. When your time is limited and you’re aiming for maximum impact, this is a critical factor.

#2. You’re not posting regularly anywhereOne key to social media success is consistency. Consistency is a major driver for engagement and visibility on most networks.

For each network, being consistent means something different.

For instance, you can get away with posting to LinkedIn a few times per week, while Facebook or Twitter require a daily commitment. If you’re struggling to keep up, you’re likely not as visible as you’d like.

#3. It’s all stress and no funSocial networking should be fun as well as a chance for you to connect with your ideal clients. It should not be stressful or a chore. If that’s what it becomes, your audience will feel it and turn their attention elsewhere.

If you can’t count your list of active networks on 10 fingers or less, or interacting online is taking up most of your day and making you grumpy, you’re in trouble.

#4. You’re not seeing resultsMaybe you don’t mind spending time online and connecting with your audience, but are you seeing results? No matter how great social media can be, it’s not a good use of time if it’s not bringing in business at the end of the day.

Sophie Bujold is a social strategist who helps travel professionals achieve online success. She is the creator of Take Flight With Facebook, a social media fam trip program. For more insights from Sophie, visit her website and sign up for free weekly email tips.

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If you can’t count your list of active networks on 10 fingers or less, or interacting online is taking up most of your day and making you grumpy, you’re in trouble.

Sophie Bujold, social media coach

HOW TO RECOVER YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA MOJO

If you’re feeling burnt out by social media, the answer is rarely to quit social media altogether.

Instead, take a moment to evaluate whether your practices align with what you’re trying to achieve and to assess whether your goals are realistic. Then hit your social media reset button by taking the following steps.

• Refocus on whom you really want to reach and why.

• Scale back your activities to the social networks where your audience hangs out most and in the largest numbers.

• Identify which network(s) will be your primary focus and which will be secondary, based on who they reach, which ones appeal to you and how much time you have.

• Make your primary networks a daily focus and aim to use them well. Make the secondary networks the ones you get to only when you have time.

• Stop feeling like you’re missing out if you’re not present on every network.